


how the mighty fall in love

by d0ct0rd0ct0r



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Ambiguous Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: M/M, original mythological creature, phoenix au, unrelated to jean grey phoenix and dark phoenix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-19
Updated: 2013-05-19
Packaged: 2017-12-12 09:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/809766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d0ct0rd0ct0r/pseuds/d0ct0rd0ct0r
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After discovering the Marvel Universe, infiltrating SHIELD, and impersonating Agent Coulson, Jonathan Crane surrenders to Loki. Hoping to rehabilitate the wayward psychologist, Loki takes Crane in and ambiguously romantic, potentially demisexual shenanigans follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Warmth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Katadactyl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katadactyl/gifts).



> Based on a series of roleplays between myself and Katadactyl.

Loki is cool skin and helpfulness and relief and, though he’s almost as thin as Jonathan, reassuringly solid next to him. Feverish, Jonathan doesn’t even think about sleeping with his host—he is more focused on shutting up the voice telling him he will always be desperately alone. The low, harsh whisper, not unfamiliar but not welcome, grates against him like silk on dry skin and makes his throbbing headache worse.  
But then there are frore fingers on his forehead and a gently accented voice asking if he needs anything, anything at all and it’s like a gust of winter wind blew out the voice in Jonathan’s head like a candle. And Jonathan can do nothing but nod and ask for excedrin, please, and the little bottle of pills is pressed into his hand and there’s a hand on his back helping him sit up.  
Jonathan thinks warm thoughts about the man against whom he’s curled up (it’s not snuggling, it’s a fair trade—hot for cold, Loki said he wanted the body heat Jonathan has to offer and Loki is refreshing in the midst of a fever). He falls asleep without ease and thrashes but never succeeds in kicking Loki out of the bed—this man, god that he is, is tenacious and self-assured. Loki stays with him, guard down, even when he has no way of knowing who will wake beside him. Jonathan, as self-conscious as he is, can’t help but be attracted to the reassurance Loki exudes to those he deems allied to him.  
Which now, apparently, includes Jonathan.


	2. hey, youngblood

He leans forward, over the sink, one hand clutching the edge of the countertop and the other holding a wad of tissue growing damp with hot blood. In the dark, he can see everything perfectly: the fire glow of his blood going down the drain, the small Bunsen burner blue flames behind his eyes, the sunshine yellow bioluminescence under his skin. Bloodshot eyes take in the gold threads through his hair, matching the occasional fiber standing out in the mostly-ebony down feathers on his wings. And he sees it when the door to his bathroom opens and his rather concerned host walks in. (Jonathan doubts they're still together, in the same way that they were Before; they haven't seen each other in days and he hasn't said a word to Loki since this began).

"Jonathan." The word doesn't fall from his lips but hangs there, three syllables mouthed instead of spoken, clinging to his straight white teeth and the unshaven dark shadows clinging to his snowy skin. Loki reaches Jonathan in one urgent, powerful stride, his deft and cool fingers finding their way to Jonathan's protruding spine. They sting with their coldness, making Jonathan hiss. But Loki hisses too, drawing his hand back like he's been bitten, the tips of his fingers where they touched Jonathan's skin burnt.

"Shit." This word tumbles from Jonathan's lips and splatters red and hot on the cold ceramic of the sink like his body heat on Loki's fingers. He closes his eyes and leans his forehead against the mirror, dropping the tissue and letting blood flow freely from his nose, willing the tears of solitude and brokenness and separation and pain not to come, but they do. After all of this, Loki tries to connect with him and Jonathan burns him. Literally.

Loki touches Jonathan's face, wiping his tears away with singed skin. He turns to look at Loki, the glow in his eyes and skin dulled, vision obscured, and sees the trickster wiggling unharmed fingers in the air with a satisfied smile. Before Jonathan can even ask, Loki answers him, "As soon as I saw you here, I knew what was happening," softly.

"What?" Jonathan pleads.

"A _phoenix_ ," says Loki, his eyes and face lighting with awe. "We learn about phoenixes as young children, the immortal sunbirds made of life and light." He reaches out to Jonathan, who picks up a mix of fear of destroying something beautiful and fear of hurting himself. "They are unbelievably rare--and they hide, their bodies are worth incredible sums on the black market--"

"What?" Jonathan repeats.

"I have never met one, but I touched a preserved phoenix feather and--" Loki loses speech for a moment. "-it was electrifying." He impulsively reaches to stroke the wrist of Jonathan's wing, his hand brushing lightly over the fluffy black feathers, and the touch soothes Jonathan. "You are so warm," he whispers, mystified.

"I'm actually freezing," Jonathan murmurs, swaying and almost falling. The nosebleed's stopped sometime in the pas few minutes, but it's all been a whirlwind of pain and emotion. Twin streaks of dried blood cover the lower half of his face, cracking when he speaks. He tries to step away from the sink but the world spins and his fingers are stiff, numb and he is utterly unable to catch himself--

Cool arms catch Jonathan, one arm under his lower back, one arm under his head, and Loki picks him up as though he weighs no more than one of his down feathers. Loki supports him, the hand on his back fitting perfectly, the long fingers between the ridges made by Jonathan's vertebrae. "I have you," Loki whispers, a reverent look on his face like he's holding something irreplaceably precious.

Jonathan stands up, attracted to Loki's coldness, and wraps an arm over his shoulders. "Can you help me?" he asks, uncertain and again self-conscious. He nods toward the door. "I-I'd like to lay down."

"Certainly," says Loki, almost sweeping Jon off his feet before realizing that it would probably harm the burgeoning phoenix. He aids Jonathan as they go back into his bedroom, laying him down on the bed and gently tucking him in.

"Stay with me," Jonathan says as a form of apology. It means that he's sorry for having disappeared like that, for cutting off communication with Loki, it's a _I hope you understand but I am so sorry_. And Loki forgives him, laying down beside him and curling into his warmth.

"I love you," he tells Jonathan, though the words are unfamiliar on his lips.

"I love you, too," Jonathan mumbles back, falling asleep.

That is all Loki needs.


End file.
